Executions Can Save Lives

[Dale]

People who don’t believe that executions can stop further murders, and other crimes, should take a look at the criminal career of Paul Eugene Rowles (1948-2013). He first raped and killed Linda Fida, 20, in 1972, at an apartment complex in Miami. Her husband found her dead, naked body in the bathtub. Rowles got into her room while she was in the laundry room, waited, then brutally raped her before stabbing her to death. He was arrested in April 1972, shortly after the crime. He was convicted in 1976 and sentenced to life in prison.

Despite being sentenced to “life” for an outrageous attack, he was released on parole in December of 1985. He had served about 13 years from the time of his arrest to the date of his parole.

Although Rowles was not tied to the crimes for many years afterward, we now know that he raped and killed Elizabeth Foster, 21, in 1989, and Tiffany Sessions, 20, in 1992. Both were stabbed to death. Both crimes were committed in Gainesville, Florida, and both were students at the University of Florida.

In May of 1994, Rowles broke into an apartment in Clearwater, Florida, and held a 16 year old girl hostage for hours before she escaped, running stark naked from the scene. I don’t believe her name has been released. Had she not managed to escape, she too would almost certainly be another dead victim. Rowles was convicted and sentenced to 19 years for the Clearwater rape, and perhaps more important, his parole was revoked, sending him back to prison for life.

In 1999, an innocent man was extradited from Wisconsin, where he was serving time, indicted, and almost convicted of the murder of Elizabeth Foster. A judge realized that the case didn’t make sense and threw it out in a decision that was unpopular at the time.

DNA evidence linked Paul Rowles to the rape/murder of Elizabeth Foster 25 years after it happened. Rowles is also definitively linked to the rape/murder of Tiffany Sessions by notations in his private notebook. He died of natural causes in a prison hospital in 2013.

Paul Rowles is responsible for the rape/murder of three young college students who had bright futures ahead of them. He was convicted of the lengthy rape of a teenage girl. Some believe, or suspect, that the actual count is considerably higher. What we do know is that Paul Rowles should have been executed after the psychopathic murder of Linda Fida. That execution would have saved the lives of at least two young college students, and at least one girl from being held for hours by a rapist.

Florida does have the death penalty. Oddly enough, the trial judge isn’t necessarily to blame for Rowles not being executed after the murder of Linda Fida. Exceeding its powers, the US Supreme Court banned all executions shortly after the arrest of Paul Rowles. After the SC threw out capital punishment laws in all states that allowed it, it took years for legislatures to pass new laws. Florida law on life sentences hadn’t caught up with the new situation. Why isn’t the Supreme Court ever blamed for the consequences of its ill-considered actions?


Links
Paul Rowles | Murderpedia, the encyclopedia of murderers

and

25 years later, cops name suspect in disappearance of Tiffany Sessions

 

[Mountainmanbob]

Some bad guys and girls just need to be put to sleep so they don't hurt anyone else.
M-Bob

 

[nonaeroterraqueous]

I'm all in favor of killing monsters.

 

[Mountainmanbob]

Hmm, almost an hour gone by and not a single one of the liberals has dropped by.

Maybe they are all out protesting somewhere today?

Got to get a good protest on?

M-Bob

 

[Yarddog]

People who don’t believe that executions can stop further murders, and other crimes, should take a look at the criminal career of Paul Eugene Rowles (1948-2013). He first raped and killed Linda Fida, 20, in 1972, at an apartment complex in Miami. Her husband found her dead, naked body in the bathtub. Rowles got into her room while she was in the laundry room, waited, then brutally raped her before stabbing her to death. He was arrested in April 1972, shortly after the crime. He was convicted in 1976 and sentenced to life in prison.

Despite being sentenced to “life” for an outrageous attack, he was released on parole in December of 1985. He had served about 13 years from the time of his arrest to the date of his parole.

Although Rowles was not tied to the crimes for many years afterward, we now know that he raped and killed Elizabeth Foster, 21, in 1989, and Tiffany Sessions, 20, in 1992. Both were stabbed to death. Both crimes were committed in Gainesville, Florida, and both were students at the University of Florida.

In May of 1994, Rowles broke into an apartment in Clearwater, Florida, and held a 16 year old girl hostage for hours before she escaped, running stark naked from the scene. I don’t believe her name has been released. Had she not managed to escape, she too would almost certainly be another dead victim. Rowles was convicted and sentenced to 19 years for the Clearwater rape, and perhaps more important, his parole was revoked, sending him back to prison for life.

In 1999, an innocent man was extradited from Wisconsin, where he was serving time, indicted, and almost convicted of the murder of Elizabeth Foster. A judge realized that the case didn’t make sense and threw it out in a decision that was unpopular at the time.

DNA evidence linked Paul Rowles to the rape/murder of Elizabeth Foster 25 years after it happened. Rowles is also definitively linked to the rape/murder of Tiffany Sessions by notations in his private notebook. He died of natural causes in a prison hospital in 2013.

Paul Rowles is responsible for the rape/murder of three young college students who had bright futures ahead of them. He was convicted of the lengthy rape of a teenage girl. Some believe, or suspect, that the actual count is considerably higher. What we do know is that Paul Rowles should have been executed after the psychopathic murder of Linda Fida. That execution would have saved the lives of at least two young college students, and at least one girl from being held for hours by a rapist.

Florida does have the death penalty. Oddly enough, the trial judge isn’t necessarily to blame for Rowles not being executed after the murder of Linda Fida. Exceeding its powers, the US Supreme Court banned all executions shortly after the arrest of Paul Rowles. After the SC threw out capital punishment laws in all states that allowed it, it took years for legislatures to pass new laws. Florida law on life sentences hadn’t caught up with the new situation. Why isn’t the Supreme Court ever blamed for the consequences of its ill-considered actions?


Links
Paul Rowles | Murderpedia, the encyclopedia of murderers

and

25 years later, cops name suspect in disappearance of Tiffany Sessions

Life in prison can save souls.

 

[Shiloh Raven]

Life in prison can save souls.

I don't want to put you on the spot, but I must say that your response is one of the very few I have seen that has a genuine Christian point of view and an actual morally consistent pro-life position.

 

[Shiloh Raven]

Maybe they are all out protesting somewhere today?

Got to get a good protest on?

M-Bob

No, I did that the day before yesterday and I had a great time. Thanks for your concern though.

 

[Anthony2019]

“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.” Matthew 5:7
“Therefore be merciful, just as your Father also is merciful.” Luke 6:36
“For judgment is without mercy to the one who has shown no mercy. Mercy triumphs over judgment.” James 2:13

I do not support the death penalty.

 

[Shiloh Raven]

Life in prison can save souls.

To clarify my previous response, I was referring to my years of involvement in the pro-life movement.

 

[Silmarien]

I once attended a speech by an anti-death penalty activist who had spent at least a decade on death row himself for a crime he hadn't committed, barely escaping execution at one point, if I remember correctly. In his case, it was later discovered that the police had actually tampered with the evidence because a conviction mattered more to them than justice.

Our criminal justice system is not perfect, and I am strongly opposed to the state potentially murdering innocent people.

 

[OldWiseGuy]

The question is who is responsible for the brutalization of the criminal justice system?

 

[Ignatius the Kiwi]

It's cases like that which convince me of the need for the death penalty. When it is absolutely clear and beyond doubt that someone has done crimes on the level or above, described by the OP it seems entirely justified to punish them with death. It is a just punishment, especially for the remorseless who have taken lives and acted so callously towards other individuals. It's not about setting examples or trying to deter people.

I think of here in New Zealand with the Christchurch shooter. There's no reason for him to be kept alive that outweighs the serious harm he has done to 47 or so people.

 

[Dale]

I once attended a speech by an anti-death penalty activist who had spent at least a decade on death row himself for a crime he hadn't committed, barely escaping execution at one point, if I remember correctly. In his case, it was later discovered that the police had actually tampered with the evidence because a conviction mattered more to them than justice.

Our criminal justice system is not perfect, and I am strongly opposed to the state potentially murdering innocent people.

You say that the criminal justice system is not perfect. Certainly it isn't.

Why is it that the only reform that we hear about is getting rid of the penalty?

 

[Mountainmanbob]

What Does the Bible Say About Punishment For Murder?

 

[Silmarien]

You say that the criminal justice system is not perfect. Certainly it isn't.

Why is it that the only reform that we hear about is getting rid of the penalty?

I don't know. It is a considerably larger issue than just that: Criminal justice reform in the United States - Wikipedia

I would err on the side of execution being intrinsically wrong, but even if you want to say that it could be theoretically permissible, for practical purposes, the danger of being wrongly accused is too great. I also think what your story offers isn't an argument in favor of the death penalty, but rather against parole for those who commit certain types of violent crimes. Life in prison would have prevented further deaths in this case as well, so it's not specifically an execution that would have saved lives here.

You would need to focus on the sorts of problems that can occur inside prisons (murder, rape, terrorist indoctrination) if you wanted to try to build a case on practical considerations. I think there are still better options even there, but in some cases an argument could likely be made.

 

[Yarddog]

To clarify my previous response, I was referring to my years of involvement in the pro-life movement.

I am pro-life in all cases that I know. The death penalty, whether it is deserved or not, is not needed in most developed countries. It does end a person's ability to repent, though.

 

[Arcangl86]

The crimes he committed could have just as easily been prevented if he was never paroled. I don't believe in prison as a way to punish criminals, but if there is a good chance that he will hurt others again, I'm ok with keeping them looked up. You can't reverse death, and there is no real reason to execute anybody to protect society. The only reason to execute somebody in modern society is vengeance, and that is not our responsibility.

 

[Dale]

I am pro-life in all cases that I know. The death penalty, whether it is deserved or not, is not needed in most developed countries. It does end a person's ability to repent, though.

You say that the death penalty “is not needed.” In other words, you are 100% satisfied with the crime rate. I am not. I lived in the Atlanta area in the 1970's. The area averaged about a murder a day. This is outrageous, and very little was done to stop it.

Armed robbery is an enormous problem is the US. Again, when I lived in the Atlanta area, I lived in an affluent suburb. According to the news media, the place I lived wasn’t violent, but downright peaceful. On a stop at a local gas station, I asked the clerk, “Does this place ever get robbed?” He ground his teeth in frustration for a few seconds, and said, “Yes.” In other words, “Yes, we get robbed all the time.” Convenience store clerks shouldn’t have to put up with this.

When George W. Bush was president, I calculated the number of murders compared to the number of executions in the US. There were about seven hundred murders for every execution. Yet the opinion leaders in this country don’t care about lowering the murder rate. They only care about stopping executions.

I don’t have the luxury of thinking that crime happens somewhere else. A couple of years ago I was standing on my front step when I heard a sound. At the time I didn’t know if it was a firecracker or a gunshot. It was a gunshot, fired by city police. Someone had shot two people in the parking lot of a shopping center (which I use frequently) then drove to an apartment near where I live. The police pursued him there. He was trying to slam the door in the face of the police when they shot him. The shot was fatal.

 

[Dale]

The crimes he committed could have just as easily been prevented if he was never paroled. I don't believe in prison as a way to punish criminals, but if there is a good chance that he will hurt others again, I'm ok with keeping them looked up. You can't reverse death, and there is no real reason to execute anybody to protect society. The only reason to execute somebody in modern society is vengeance, and that is not our responsibility.

There are a number of cases where execution seems to be the only answer that have nothing to do with vengeance. Try this one: Someone who is already serving a life sentence kills another inmate. What do you do to them? Add another life sentence? It is clear to me that executing an inmate who kills others when he is already under a life sentence is the only way to protect other inmates.

You say to keep them locked up. I’m not sure if you realize how hard that is. When I lived in Georgia in 1981, we had three of the most notorious murderers in the state walk out of a maximum security prison wearing pajamas that looked something like a prison guard’s uniform. They were already serving life sentences, of course. That particular incident ended fairly well. One died and the other two were recaptured. There are other examples. Virginia had six inmates escape from death row.

 

[Dale]

Hmm, almost an hour gone by and not a single one of the liberals has dropped by.

Where I live, most people would consider me to be a liberal. I am an environmentalist. I am also known as a supporter of gun control. Other people may see this issue as liberal vs. conservative, but I make my decision to support capital punishment on its own merits.